Controlled communication between residents of controlled-environment facilities

ABSTRACT

Embodiments receive an indication of initiation of communication from a controlled-environment facility resident, using a communications device, with another controlled-environment facility resident. A determination is made whether the residents are allowed to communicate and the communication is established between the communications device and another communications device in use by the other resident. The residents may be residents of different or the same controlled-environment facility(ies). The communication may be monitored and/or a database of residents that communicate with one another may be compiled. The communication between the controlled-environment facility residents may proceed, even despite a determination or predetermination that the residents are not allowed to communicate with one another, so the communication may be monitored. At least one of the residents may be charged for the communication, such as by charging a community communications account maintained to the benefit of at least one of the residents.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/322,869,also entitled Controlled Communication Between Residents ofControlled-Environment Facilities, filed Jul. 2, 2014, which isincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This specification is related to communications by residents ofcontrolled-environment facilities, specifically to communicationsbetween residents of controlled-environment facilities, and particularlyto controlled communications between residents of one or morecontrolled-environment facilities.

BACKGROUND

According to the International Centre for Prison Studies, the UnitedStates has the highest prison population per capita in the world. In2009, for example, 1 out of every 135 U.S. residents was incarcerated.Generally, inmates convicted of felony offenses serve long sentences inprison (e.g., federal or state prisons), whereas those convicted ofmisdemeanors receive shorter sentences to be served in jail (e.g.,county jail). In either case, while awaiting trial, a suspect or accusedmay remain incarcerated. During his or her incarceration, an inmate mayhave opportunities to communicate with the outside world.

By allowing prisoners to have some contact with friends and family whileincarcerated, the justice system aims to facilitate their transitionback into society upon release. Traditional forms of contact includetelephone calls, in-person visitation, conjugal visits, etc. Morerecently, technological advances have allowed jails and prisons toprovide other types of visitation, including individual-to-individualvideoconferences and online chat sessions.

Traditional communication services provided residents ofcontrolled-environment facilities (such as correctional facilities)include allowing residents (inmates) to place outbound phone calls tonon-residents of the controlled-environment facility. Additionally,non-residents can typically schedule video visitation with residents(inmates) of the controlled-environment facility. Other types ofcommunication available to controlled-environment residents include theability to exchange email and canned text messages between residents andnon-residents of the controlled-environment facility. Basically, all ofthese forms of communication aim to facilitate communication between aresident of a controlled-environment facility and a non-resident.Therefore, there have traditionally been no mechanisms for residents(inmates), even family member-residents, to communicate with oneanother, other than through correspondence using letters, or through anoutside intermediary (such as a common family member). Use of an outsideintermediary is often challenging, since in many cases the “receiving”resident would need to initiate an outbound communication to theintermediary before the receiving resident could be given the message.

Additionally, over the past several years, the above-mentioned sharpincrease in the U.S. inmate population has not been followed by aproportional increase in the number of prison or jail staff. To thecontrary, budget pressures in local, state, and federal governments havemade it difficult for correctional facilities to maintain an adequatenumber of wardens, officers, and other administration personnel. Hence,many correctional facilities are often unable to perform investigationswith respect to their own inmates.

SUMMARY

The present systems and methods provide, in accordance with variousembodiments, reception of an indication of initiation of communicationfrom a controlled-environment facility resident, using a communicationsdevice, with another controlled-environment facility resident.Whereupon, a determination may be made whether the residents are allowedto communicate with one another and the communication is established,between the communications device and another communications device inuse by the other controlled-environment resident, under control of atleast one controlled-environment facility communication control system.The communication may be established, as a result of a determinationthat the residents are allowed to communicate with one another. Theresidents may be residents of different controlled-environmentfacilities or the same controlled-environment facility. Thecommunication may be monitored, such as through a controlled-environmentfacility communication control system and/or a database of residentsthat at least attempt to communicate with one another may be compiled.

In accordance with some embodiments, when a determination is made thatthe residents are not allowed to communicate with one another,establishment of the communication between the controlled-environmentfacility residents may proceed, despite the determination that theresidents are not allowed to communicate with one another, so thecommunication may be monitored.

In accordance with embodiments of the present systems and methods, oneor each of the residents may be charged for the communication, such asin accordance with particular embodiments by charging a communitycommunications account maintained by at least one controlled-environmentfacility for the benefit of at least one of the communicating residents.

Various embodiments of the present systems and methods may take the formof one or more computer implemented methods; one or more systemscomprising one or more components, which may each include at least oneprocessor and a memory coupled to the processor(s), wherein the memorystores program instructions and the program instructions are executableby the at least one processor; and/or a tangible computer-readablestorage medium having program instructions stored thereon executable bya computer system, or the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will nowbe made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn toscale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of an example communicationsenvironment, wherein an example embodiment of the present systems andmethods for controlled communication between residents ofcontrolled-environment facilities is deployed in conjunction with asingle controlled-environment facility, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of an example communicationsenvironment, wherein an example embodiment of the present systems andmethods for controlled communication between residents ofcontrolled-environment facilities is deployed in conjunction with twocontrolled-environment facilities, for communication between a residentin each of the facilities, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an example process for controlled communicationbetween residents of a single controlled-environment facility, inaccordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an example investigative process employing anembodiment of controlled communication between residents of acontrolled-environment facility, in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example process for controlled communicationbetween residents of two controlled-environment facilities, inaccordance with some embodiments; and

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example investigative process employing anembodiment of controlled communication between residents ofcontrolled-environment facilities, in accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings. This invention may, however, beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments areprovided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and willfully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Oneskilled in the art may be able to use the various embodiments of theinvention.

This description is directed to communications by residents ofcontrolled-environment facilities, specifically to communicationsbetween residents of controlled-environment facilities, and particularlyto controlled communications between residents of one or morecontrolled-environment facilities. The present systems and methodsprovide embodiments that receive an indication of initiation ofcommunication from a controlled-environment facility resident, using acommunications device, with another controlled-environment facilityresident. A determination is made whether the residents are allowed tocommunicate and the communication is established between thecommunications device and another communications device in use by theother resident. The residents may be residents of different or the samecontrolled-environment facility(ies). The communication may be monitoredand/or a database of residents that communicate with one another, or atleast attempt to communicate with one another, may be compiled. Thecommunication between the controlled-environment facility residents mayproceed, in some cases for investigative or other purposes even despitea predetermination that the residents are not allowed to communicatewith one another, so the communication may be monitored. Each or one ofthe of the residents may be charged for the communication in variousways, such as by charging a community communications account maintainedto the benefit of at least one of the communicating residents.

Embodiments of the present systems and methods are particularly wellsuited to leverage existing communications platforms. For example, thepresent systems and methods may make, allow, facilitate and controlcommunications between any two parties on one or more existingcontrolled-environment facility communication platform(s), who wouldnormally not be allowed to communicate. Further, embodiments of thepresent systems and methods may provide investigative advantages.

Various types of controlled-environment facilities are present intoday's society, and persons may be voluntary or involuntary residentsof such facilities, whether temporarily or permanently. Examples ofcontrolled-environment facilities may include correctional institutions(e.g., municipal jails, county jails, state prisons, federal prisons,military stockades, juvenile facilities, detention camps, homeincarceration environments, etc.), healthcare facilities (e.g.,hospitals, nursing homes, mental health facilities, rehabilitationfacilities, such as drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities, etc.),restricted living quarters (e.g., hotels, resorts, camps, dormitories,barracks, etc.), and the like. For convenience of explanation, variousexamples discussed herein are presented in the context of correctionalfacilities, or the like. For instance, in some of the embodimentsdiscussed below, a controlled-environment facility may be referred to asa correctional facility, jail or prison, and its residents may bereferred to as inmates, arrestees, or detainees. It should beunderstood, however, that the systems and methods described herein maybe similarly applicable to other types of controlled-environmentfacilities and their respective residents (e.g., a hospital and itspatients, a school dormitory and its students, etc.).

Embodiments of the present systems and methods allow and controlcommunications between a resident of a controlled-environment facilityand another resident of either the same or differentcontrolled-environment facility. For example, if two brothers are in thesame prison, but physically segregated, the present systems and methodsallow the two brothers to communicate, in a facility-controlled manner,such as through a controlled-environment facility communicationsplatform. Another example might be, two residents/inmates who know eachother, but one is in a facility/prison in Louisiana and the other is ina facility/prison in Connecticut. The present systems and methods mightallow them to stay in touch, communicate with calls, video, textmessages, emails, chats, or the like, and allow both facilities toexercise an appropriate level of control over the communication(s). Tosuch ends, the present systems and methods providecontrolled-environment facility staff (correctional staff) an ability tocontrol, monitor, and enable such inter-facility residentcommunications. Therefor, in accordance with embodiments of the presentsystems and methods two inmates or residents are allowed to communicatein a more-or-less conventional fashion, while allowing facilities tocontrol who they can talk to, when, for how long, etc., as well asallowing the facilities to monitor and record the conversations.Whereas, as noted, traditional systems and methods aim to identify,block, and restrict any such behavior. The present systems and methodsaim to allow and facilitate, but control, behavior such asinmate/residents communicating with each other.

Although exemplary embodiments described herein may refer to merely as a“communication,” a “call,” or the like, it will be understood by thoseof skill in the art that any communication services may be supported bythe present systems and methods. For example, a communication referenceherein may not only be voice call, but a video communication, an email,and SMS text, a video conference, chat sessions, or the like. Thepresent systems and methods are also not limited to two-personcommunications, but can also be applied to multi-party communications inwhich two or more of the parties to the multi-person communication areresidents of a controlled-environment facility.

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of example communicationsenvironment, wherein example embodiment 100 of the present systems andmethods for controlled communication between residents ofcontrolled-environment facilities is deployed in conjunction with singlecontrolled-environment facility 110, according to some embodiments.System 100 for controlled communication between residents ofcontrolled-environment facility 110 may include communication controlsystem 120, which may be operatively linked to controlled-environmentfacility management system 130 and/or controlled-environment facilityresident account management system 140. Communication control system 120may control at least resident communications, whilecontrolled-environment facility management system 130 may maintaininformation with respect to residents of the controlled-environmentfacility. For example, in accordance with the present systems andmethods resident preregistration may be employed in order for theresident to employ, and/or to facilitate and control communicationsbetween the resident and another resident of the same or differentcontrolled-environment facility. Such an enrollment process may befacilitated by an invitation to the resident such as during an outgoingcommunication to a friend, family member or other resident.Preregistration may include providing a list of friends, family membersor other residents, which the registering resident wishes to communicatewith. This list may be reviewed and validated by facility personneland/or management systems (130) associated with thecontrolled-environment facility (110). For example, in a correctionalfacility a Jail Management System (JMS) (e.g. 130) may review andvalidate such a list in an automated manner. Further in this regard, anengine provided in accordance with the present systems and methods maybe used to notify residents of the availability of the present service.Controlled-environment facility communication control system 120, and/orcontrolled-environment facility management system 130, may be leveragedto provide such notice and/or to provide residents with a lookupdirectory to find other residents such as to find the other residentscurrent location within the facility or in another facility.Controlled-environment facility resident account management system 140may maintain accounts maintained to the benefit of residents ofcontrolled-environment facility 110, such as resident trust accounts,resident communications accounts, resident commissary accounts, residentcredit card and bank accounts, resident discretionary non-trustaccounts, and/or the like.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present systems andmethods facility management functionality 130, communication controlfunctionality 120, account management system 140, and/or the like, maybe one or more separate systems, located at, or in, facility 110, asillustrated in FIG. 1. However, any of facility management functionality130, communication control functionality 120, account management system140, and/or similar systems or functionality may be combined, located ata central location outside of the facility, disposed in a decentralizedmanner at several locations, and/or otherwise located so as to receiveor provide telephonic, and/or data communications, in accordance withthe present systems and methods.

Communication control system 120 may have at least one processor coupledto memory, which stores program instructions that are executable by theprocessor(s) to receive an indication of initiation of communicationfrom, for example controlled-environment facility resident 150, usingcommunications device 160. This communication may be intended to be withanother controlled-environment facility resident 170, withincontrolled-environment facility 110. Communication control system 120may determine whether residents 150 and 170 are allowed to communicatewith one another and may establish communication between communicationsdevice 160 and communications device 180 in use bycontrolled-environment resident 170, for example, as a result of adetermination that the residents are at least allowed to communicatewith one another. Regardless, the communication remains under control ofcontrolled-environment facility communications control system 120.

In accordance with some embodiments of the present systems and methods,communication control system 120 may refer to information maintained bycontrolled-environment facility management system 130 to determinewhether residents 150 and 170 are allowed to communicate with oneanother. To these and other ends, controlled-environment facilitymanagement system 130 may include at least one processor coupled tomemory storing program instructions executable by the processor(s) tohost and provide the aforementioned information with respect toresidents of controlled-environment facility 110, particularly, inaccordance with embodiments of the present systems and methods withrespect to whether the residents are allowed to communicate with oneanother.

In accordance with embodiments of the present systems and methods,various features and procedures available in existingcontrolled-environment facility communications platforms, such ascommunication control system 120, and processes carried out thereby thatfacilitate, control or leverage communications between facilityresidents and non-residents can be applied to allow, control and/orleverage controlled communications between two residents, to variousadvantages, including commercial, social, humanitarian, investigativeand security advantages, or the like. For example, the present systemsand methods may allow, facilitate and control communications between anytwo residents set-up on an existing controlled-environment facilitycommunications platform. One example advantage is that the presentsystems and methods are also intended to provide investigators with moreintelligence and investigative techniques. As a specific example in acorrectional facility or the like, if investigators have an informant ina gang, they can establish communication between the informant and theother imprisoned gang members in accordance with the present systems andmethods, and garner a full recording of the conversation. Thus, inaccordance with some example investigative embodiments, communicationcontrol system 120 may determine that a prior determination has beenmade to not allow residents 150 and 170 to communicate with one another,but may still proceed with establishing the communication betweencommunications devices 160 and 180, despite this predetermination thatthe residents are not allowed to communicate with one another, so as tomonitor the communication and gather intelligence.

Regardless of whether residents 150 and 170 are approved to communicatewith one another, any established communication may be monitored, suchas, by, or through, communication control system 120. For example, thecommunication may be recorded, monitored by a live person listening-inon the communication, and/or monitored in an automated matter, such asthrough execution of instructions by the processor(s) of communicationcontrol system 120 to monitor for keywords, inappropriate behavior,clandestine behavior and/or the like. Another investigative tool thatmay be employed in accordance with the present systems and methods maybe to compile, such as by communication control system 120 and/orfacility management system 130, a database of residents that communicateor initiate communicating with one another. Investigators can set-upcovert alerts, other alerts or the like, initiated when certain inmatescommunicate with other target inmates, and/or the like.

Controlled-environment facility resident account management system 140may include at least one processor and memory coupled to theprocessor(s). The memory may store program instructions executable bythe processor(s) to manage payment for the communication from at leastone account maintained to the benefit of at least one of residents 150and/or 170. For example, controlled-environment facility residentaccount management system 140 may charge accounts maintained to thebenefit of each of residents 150 and 170 for the communication, orcharge an account maintained to the benefit of only one of residents 150or 170 for the communication. To facilitate funding of communications(and/or to encourage calls) in accordance with the present systems andmethods, not only may individual communications or trust accounts beused, one or more community accounts may be established (e.g. a familyaccount), from which each member of the community (e.g. each familymember) may draw, to carry out communications with other communitymembers (e.g. family members that are residents of a same or differentcontrolled-environment facility). Hence, in some embodiments,controlled-environment facility resident account management system 140may maintain and charge a community or family communications accountmaintained to the benefit of at least one of residents 150 and 170 forthe communication. Thereby, such a community or family account mayprovide a pool of money, from which multiple parties can draw from, somultiple parties can communicate with each other. Such a communityaccount may be funded by the residents themselves or by a non-resident,such as a common outside family member.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of an example communicationsenvironment, wherein example embodiment 200 of the present systems andmethods for controlled communication between residents ofcontrolled-environment facilities is deployed in conjunction with twocontrolled-environment facilities 210 and 215, for communication betweena resident in each of the facilities, according to some embodiments.Embodiments of the present systems and methods may be employed to notonly allow, facilitate and control calls between residents of differentdomestic controlled-environment facilities, but also communicationsbetween residents of a domestic controlled-environment facilities andcontrolled-environment facilities in other countries. Such embodimentsmay be particularly advantageous in light of the high prison populationin the United States of immigrants from Mexico. Further, suchinternational communication embodiments may be of particular use inaccordance with investigative features of the present systems andmethods, particularly for drug-related, homeland security, and humantrafficking investigations.

System 200 for controlled communication between residents ofcontrolled-environment facilities 210 and 215 may include communicationcontrol systems 220 and 225, respectively, which may be linked to oneanother, via communications and/or data network 290, which may includeone or more networks, such as the Internet, an intranet, a PublicSwitched Telephone Network (PSTN), or any other type of communicationsand/or data network suitable for allowing communication between twoentities. As noted, embodiments of the present systems and methods areparticularly well suited to leverage existing communications platforms.For example, the present systems and methods may make allow, facilitateand control communications between any two residents on existingcontrolled-environment facility communication platforms (e.g., 220 and225) associated with two controlled-environment facilities (210 and215). Controlled-environment facility communication control system 220may be operatively linked to controlled-environment facility managementsystem 230 and/or controlled-environment facility resident accountmanagement system 240, with respect to controlled-environment facility210. Correspondingly, with respect to controlled-environment facility215, controlled-environment facility communication control system 225may be operatively linked to controlled-environment facility managementsystem 235 and/or controlled-environment facility resident accountmanagement system 245. Communication control systems 220 and 225 maycontrol at least resident communications in respectivecontrolled-environment facilities 210 and 215, whilecontrolled-environment facility management systems 230 and 235 maymaintain information with respect to residents of eachcontrolled-environment facility 210 and 215, respectively, andcontrolled-environment facility resident account management systems 240and 245 may maintain accounts maintained to the benefit of residents ofcontrolled-environment facilities 210 and/or 215. Again, such accountsmay include resident trust accounts, resident communications accounts,credit card, bank card, resident commissary accounts, residentdiscretionary non-trust accounts, and/or the like.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present systems andmethods call management systems 220 and 225 (or functionalities thereof)may each be separate systems, located at, or in, respective facility 210or 215, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The same may be true of facilitymanagement systems/functionalities 230 and 235, and account managementsystems/functionalities 240 and 245, and/or the like. However, any ofcall management functionalities 220 or 225, facility managementfunctionalities 230 or 235, account management functionalities 240 or245, and/or similar systems or functionalities may be combined, locatedat a central location outside of facilities, disposed in a decentralizedmanner at several locations, within or otherwise associated with one offacility 210 or 215 or the other, and/or otherwise located so as toreceive or provide telephonic, and/or data communications, in accordancewith the present systems and methods, such as via communications and/ordata network 290.

Communication control systems 220 and 225 may each have at least oneprocessor coupled to memory, which stores program instructions that areexecutable by the processor(s) to receive an indication of initiation ofcommunication from a controlled-environment facility resident. Forexample, communication control system 220 may receive an indication fromcontrolled-environment facility resident 250, using communicationsdevice 260 that he or she wishes to communicate withcontrolled-environment facility resident 275 of controlled-environmentfacility 215. Communication control systems 220 and 225 may together, orseparately determine whether residents 250 and 275 are allowed tocommunicate with one another, such as by exchanging identification ofresidents 250 and 275 and checking information, such as may bemaintained with respect to residents of each of the facilities byfacility management systems 230 and 235. Such inter-system communicationand information exchange between communication control systems 220 and225, may take place via communications and/or data network 290. As aresult of a determination that the residents are at least allowed tocommunicate with one another, by both of communication control systems220 and 225, communication control systems 220 and 225 may establishcommunication between communications device 260 and communicationsdevice 285 in use by controlled-environment resident 275, such as viathe controlled-environment facility communication control systems 220and 225, through intervening communications or data network 290.

As noted, in accordance with some embodiments of the present systems andmethods, communication control systems 220 and 225 may refer toinformation maintained by respective controlled-environment facilitymanagement systems 230 and 235 to determine whether residents 250 and275 are allowed to communicate with one another. To these and otherends, controlled-environment facility management systems 230 and 235 mayinclude at least one processor coupled to memory storing programinstructions executable by the processor(s) to host and provide theaforementioned information with respect to residents of respectivecontrolled-environment facilities 210 and 215, particularly, inaccordance with embodiments of the present systems and methods withrespect to whether the residents are allowed to communicate with oneanother. Hence, in accordance with various embodiments of system 200,controlled-environment facility management system 230 may maintain atleast some information with respect to one or more residents of othercontrolled-environment facility 215, such as at least whether one ormore residents of its controlled-environment facility (210) is allowedto communicate with a particular resident (275) ofcontrolled-environment facility 215. Likewise, controlled-environmentfacility management system 235 may maintain at least some informationwith respect to one or more residents of the othercontrolled-environment facility (210).

In accordance with embodiments of the present systems and methods,various features and procedures available in at least one ofcontrolled-environment facility communication platforms 220 and 225 andprocesses carried out thereby, may facilitate, control or leveragecommunications between facility residents, to various advantages,including commercial, social, humanitarian, investigative and securityadvantages, or the like. For example, as noted, the present systems andmethods are intended to provide investigators with more intelligence andinvestigative techniques. As one example according to some investigativeembodiments, one or both of communication control systems 220 and/or 225may determine that a prior determination has been made to not allowresidents 250 and 275 to communicate with one another, but may stillproceed with establishing the communication between communicationsdevices 260 and 285, despite this predetermination, so as to monitor thecommunication, such as by, or through, one or both of communicationcontrol systems 220 and/or 225. In such embodiments, as a specificcorrectional facility environment example, if investigators have aninformant in a gang in one facility, they can instruct communicationcontrol systems 220 and 225 to allow establishment of communicationbetween the informant and another gang member imprisoned in anotherfacility and record and/or otherwise monitor the conversation forinvestigative intelligence.

Regardless of whether residents 250 and 275 are approved to communicatewith one another, any established or attempted communication may bemonitored, such as, by, or through, one or both of communication controlsystems 220 and 225. For example, the communication may be recorded,monitored by a live person listening-in on the communication, and/ormonitored in an automated manner, such as through execution ofinstructions by the processor(s) of one or both of communication controlsystems 220 and 225 to monitor for keywords, inappropriate behavior,clandestine behavior and/or the like. Another investigative tool thatmay be employed in accordance with the present systems and methods maybe to compile, such as by one or both of communication control system220 and 225, and/or one or both of facility management systems 230 and235, a database of residents from each of facilities 210 and 215 thatcommunicate with one another, and/or at least attempt to communicatewith one another.

Hence, in accordance with various embodiments of the present systems andmethods, even if active monitoring or the like of intra orinter-facility communications are not practical, recording ofconversations such as in conjunction with automated monitoring, whichcan monitor for keywords, or the like, may provide practical, lowercost, effective investigative tool. Regardless, even review ofinmate-to-inmate communication (and subsequent communication by each) orother similar investigative “threads” may be useful. At least,investigators can set-up covert alerts, other alerts, or the like,initiated when certain inmates communicate with other target inmates,use certain keywords, and/or the like.

Controlled-environment facility resident account management systems 240and/or 245 may each include at least one processor, and memory coupledto the processor(s). The memory may store program instructionsexecutable by the processor(s) to manage payment for the communicationfrom at least one account maintained to the benefit of at least one ofresidents 250 and/or 275. For example, controlled-environment facilityresident account management system 240 may charge an account maintainedto the benefit of resident 250 for the communication, also oralternatively, controlled-environment facility resident accountmanagement system 245 may charge an account maintained to the benefit ofresident 275 for the communication. Similar to system and methodembodiments discussed above, one or both of controlled-environmentfacility resident account management systems 240 and 245 may maintainand/or charge a community or family communications account maintained tothe benefit of at least one of residents 250 and 275 for thecommunication, such as discussed above. Such a community or familycommunications account may span more than one facility, and hence morethan one resident account management systems (i.e. resident accountmanagement systems 240 and 245) so that it may be used to finance thepresent communication carried-out through system 200, or the like.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of example process 300 for controlledcommunication between residents of a single controlled-environmentfacility, in accordance with some embodiments. Therein, at 305 anindication of initiation of communication from a controlled-environmentfacility resident (150), using a communications device (160), withanother controlled-environment facility resident (170) is received, suchas by a controlled-environment facility communications system (120).Whereupon, a determination is made at 310 whether the residents (150 and170) are allowed to communicate with one another, such as by thecommunications control system (120), possibly in conjunction with,and/or using information from a facility management system (130).

If it is determined at 310 that the residents are allowed tocommunicate, then at 315 the communication between the initiatingresident's communications device (160) and another communications device(180) in use by the other controlled-environment resident (170) isestablished. The communication may remain under control of acontrolled-environment facility communications control system (120), orthe like. As noted above, the communications may be recorded, monitored,and/or analyzed for keywords, or the like in an automated manner, suchas by or through the communications system (120), at 320.

Conversely, FIG. 4 is a flowchart of example investigative process 400employing an embodiment of controlled communication between residents ofcontrolled-environment facilities, in accordance with some embodiments.For example, investigative process 400 may be employed in conjunctionwith example process 300 for controlled communication between residentsof a single controlled-environment facility. Therein, similar to step305 above, an indication of initiation of communication from acontrolled-environment facility resident (150), using a communicationsdevice (160), with another controlled-environment facility resident(170) is received at 405, such as by a controlled-environment facilitycommunications system (120). Whereupon, a determination is made at 410,similar to step 310 above, whether the residents (150 and 170) areallowed to communicate with one another. However, even if it isdetermined at 410, and/or otherwise predetermined, that they should notbe allowed to communicate with one another, the communication betweenthe residents may be established for investigative purposes at 415 andmonitored at 420, and/or otherwise followed. For example, such as byexamining who the called party communicates with subsequently, and whatis said.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of example process 500 for controlledcommunication between residents of two controlled-environmentfacilities, in accordance with some embodiments. Therein, an indicationis received at 505 of initiation of communication from acontrolled-environment facility resident (250) using a communicationsdevice (260), such as by a controlled-environment facilitycommunications system (220), wherein the communication is directed to aresident (275) of another controlled-environment facility (215). Adetermination is made at 510 whether the residents (250 and 275) shouldbe allowed to communicate with one another. As noted above thisdetermination may be made, by way of example, by one or both of thecontrolled-environment facilities' call control systems (220 and 225).Also, as noted, such a decision may be made by each of the call controlsystems (220 and 225) in conjunction with, and/or using informationfrom, its respective facility management system (230 and 235).

If the residents (250 and 275) are allowed to communicate, then at 515the communication between the residents' communications devices (260 and285) is established, such as via the controlled-environment facilitycall control systems (220 and 225), through an interveningcommunications network (290). The communication may remain under controlof one or both of the controlled-environment facility communicationscontrol systems (220 and/or 225). As noted above, the communications maybe recorded, monitored, and/or analyzed for keywords, or the like, in anautomated manner, such as by or through the communications systems (220,225) at 520.

Conversely, FIG. 6 is a flowchart of example investigative process 600employing an embodiment of controlled communication between residents ofcontrolled-environment facilities, in accordance with some embodiments.For example, investigative process 600 may be employed in conjunctionwith example process 500 for controlled communication between residentsof two controlled-environment facilities, described above. Therein,similar to 505 above, an indication of initiation of communication isreceived at 605. This indication may be received from acontrolled-environment facility resident (250) using a communicationsdevice (260), and may be directed to communication with a resident (275)of another controlled-environment facility (215). This indication may bereceived by a controlled-environment facility communications system(220) associated with the initiating caller's controlled-environmentfacility (210). A determination is made at 610, similar to 510 above,whether the residents (250 and 275) are allowed to communicate with oneanother. However, even if it is determined at 610, and/or otherwisepredetermined, that the residents (250 and 275) should not be allowed tocommunicate with one another, the communication between the residentsmay be established for investigative purposes at 615, such as through anintervening communications network (290) and monitored at 620, such asby an investigative officer or through the communications systems (220and 225), for keywords, or the like, in an automated manner, and/orotherwise followed, such as by observing who the called partycommunicates with next, or soon thereafter, and what is said.

In accordance with other investigative embodiments, communications maybe made regardless of the determination made at 410 or 610, above, as towhether the residents are allowed to communicate with one another. Insuch embodiments, it may be predetermined that even though the residentsshould not be allowed to communicate, a communication may merely beconnected, such as to facilitate a situation where the investigatorswish for the parties to talk and/or one party is an informant acting atthe direction of the investigators, for example, such as discussedabove.

As noted, the present systems and methods may also provide commercialadvantages such as increased revenue, due to increased communications.For example, increased communication may result since in the presentsystems and methods each communication party is in a situation wherecommunication may be a welcomed respite from boredom and/or life in acontrolled-environment facility. Also, the present systems and methodsmay help reduced recidivism, in that studies have shown that maintainingfamily and friends connections reduces recidivism. In the least, thepresent systems and methods might address, to at least some degree,resident despair that might arise as a result of multiple family membersbeing incarcerated, or similar situations. In a similar regard, thepresent systems and methods may to some degree help reduce crime, or atleast misconduct, in prisons and similar controlled-environmentfacilities, in that communications between residents may provide anoutlet, coping mechanism or the like, and/or may foster the creation ofstrengthening of relationships, and such. As with typicalcontrolled-environment facility outgoing communications, or the like,the present systems and methods may impose limits on call duration, orthe like. However, in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentsystems and methods if a personal communication is being used the callmay have a longer or unlimited duration. Such open-ended communicationtimes afford an ability to occupy the resident's time, which may bedesirable for controlled-environment facility management. However, ifthe communication device being employed is a communal communicationdevice, the duration of the call maybe limited in a more-or lessconventional fashion.

By facilitating communications between residents, one or both of theresidents, and/or facilities may benefit from results from thecommunication. As a particular example, in a situation where oneresident is a detainee in a jail, or the like, and the other party hasfunds at his disposal, such as where the other resident is an inmate inprison, with little use for excess disposable funds, the prison inmatemay assist in bailing the jail detainee out of jail. As another exampleof communications between residents benefitting one or both of theresidents and/or facilities, communications in accordance with thepresent systems and methods may facilitate training of one resident,such as via video instruction, by another resident in the same ordifferent facility, where the second resident has a particular skill hecan share (and which may be “going to waste” while confined).Limitations on the duration of a communication in accordance with thepresent systems and methods may be customized in accordance with thenature of the communication. For example, a training communication suchas discussed above may be for a fixed period time or for a window oftime which would afford not only completion of the intended traininglesson but also time for questions and answers.

Further, as previously mentioned, communications in accordance with thepresent systems and methods maybe monitored, in an automated mannerand/or manually. In accordance with such embodiments an officer can stopcommunication, and/or automated systems may provide an alert so thatmanual monitoring of the communication by an officer can commence. Alsoin accordance with embodiments, various communication platformsviolations of communication policies, such as the use of profanityand/or other misconduct, may result in restriction of communicationprivileges, whereupon parties to the communication maybe notified ofsuch a violation. Also in accordance with the present systems andmethods, the existing controlled-environment facility communicationsplatform and/or controlled-environment management system may loginformation related to the call so just to the creation of a Call DetailRecord (CDR), or the like, which may be annotated with a uniqueidentifier for the communication, and/or a file such as a multimediarecording of the communication, such as for investigative purposes.

The present systems and methods may also leverage existingcontrolled-environment facility communications platforms and/orcontrolled-environment facility management systems to allow a residentto block incoming communications from other particular residents of thesame or different controlled-environment facility.

Further, as noted, features afforded by an existingcontrolled-environment facility communications platform, and/or futureimprovements to such a platform, can be incorporated into and leveragedby the present systems and methods for controlled communications betweenresidents of one or more controlled-environment facilities. For example,(continuous) voice and voice sampling technology can be employed toinsure that the residents communicating throughout the conversation arein fact the parties intended. If not, the communication can beterminated, and/or monitored for investigative purposes. Further, suchexisting controlled-communications platforms can be leveraged to useexisting equipment to practice the present systems and methods, such asexisting POTS phones, tablet computing devices, personal communicationdevices, community devices, specially adapted inmate (video) phones,communications kiosks, and the like.

As a further example of incorporating existing features of existingcontrolled-environment facility communications platforms, the presentsystems and methods may facilitate not only voice communications, butalso texts, chats, blogs, video, email, etc. Validation and securitycontrols of a controlled-environment facility communications platformmay also be used in conjunction with the present systems and methods. Asa further example of incorporating existing, features of existingcontrolled-environment facility communication-related platforms, thepresent systems and methods may employ the same trust or similarcommunications accounts as such platforms, such as may be maintained byresident account management systems 140, 240 and/or 245, describedabove. Hence, transactions in relation to existingcontrolled-environment facility communication platform-employed paymentmethods may be leveraged in the present systems and methods such as forestablishment of the aforementioned family account, such as may beadvanced employing a teaser promotional system, and/or the like.

As a further example of leveraging existing communications or facilitymanagement systems, scheduling and/or coordination of communications inaccordance with the present systems and methods for controlledcommunications between residents of one or more controlled-environmentfacilities may be initiated and/or carried out employing an existingcontrolled-environment facility communications platform and/or anexisting JMS, or the like, respectively. In accordance with variousembodiments of the present systems and methods, controlledcommunications between residents of one or more controlled-environmentfacilities may be carried out in an “on demand” or near on demand,basis. However, meeting scheduling functions in existingcontrolled-environment facility communications platforms or managementsystems may be leveraged to set up communications between residents,and/or to facilitate near on demand communications, such as by way ofexample to provide short notice to facilitate near on demandcommunications in accordance with various embodiments of the presentsystems and methods. In accordance with some embodiments of the presentsystems and methods, a communication may be scheduled producing acalendar item, or the like, in accordance with scheduling functionalityhosted by an existing controlled-environment facility management system,or the like. Further, identification and/or Global Positioning System(GPS) tracking systems employed by existing controlled-environmentsystem management systems may be employed to track movement of aresident to facilitate initiation of communications in accordance withthe present systems and methods.

Further, default settings, for the controlled-environment facility andcommunications platform may be retained in accordance with the presentsystems and methods. For example, communications between spouses i.e. awife and husband in different correctional facilities, may be considerednot only private but privileged communications enhance existingregulations related to the controlled-environment facility may forbid orotherwise restrict recording and/or monitoring of such communications.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technicaladvantages of the present invention in order that the detaileddescription of the invention that follows may be better understood.Additional features and advantages of the invention will be describedhereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. Itshould be appreciated that the conception and specific embodimentdisclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designingother structures for carrying out the same purposes of the presentinvention. It should also be realized that such equivalent constructionsdo not depart from the invention as set forth in the appended claims.The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of theinvention, both as to its organization and method of operation, togetherwith further objects and advantages will be better understood from thefollowing description when considered in connection with theaccompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, thateach of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration anddescription only and is not intended as a definition of the limits ofthe present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, by at least onecontrolled-environment facility communications control system, anindication of initiation of communication from a firstcontrolled-environment facility resident, using a first communicationsdevice, with a second controlled-environment facility resident;establishing a direct communication link between the firstcommunications device and a second communications device in use by thesecond controlled-environment facility resident, by the at least onecontrolled-environment facility communication control system, undercontrol of the at least one controlled-environment facilitycommunication control system; and alerting an investigator, by the atleast one controlled-environment facility communication control system,that the first and second residents are communicating, in response toestablishing the communication link by the at least onecontrolled-environment facility communication control system.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: initiating, by the at least onecontrolled-environment facility communication control system, thealerting of the investigator that the first and second residents arecommunicating when at least one of the first and second residents is atarget resident.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:monitoring the communication by the at least one controlled-environmentfacility communication control system; and initiating, by the at leastone controlled-environment facility communication control system, thealerting the investigator that the first and second residents arecommunicating in response to recognition of use of at least one keywordduring the communication by the at least one controlled-environmentfacility communication control system.
 4. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: monitoring the communication by at least one investigator,through the at least one controlled-environment facility communicationcontrol system, in response to the alerting of the investigator that thefirst and second residents are communicating.
 5. The method of claim 1,further comprising: determining, by the at least onecontrolled-environment facility communication control system, that theresidents are not allowed to communicate with one another; establishing,by the at least one controlled-environment facility communicationcontrol system, the communication between the first communicationsdevice and the second communications device in use by the othercontrolled-environment facility resident, despite a determination and/ora predetermination that the first and second residents are not allowedto communicate with one another; and initiating, by the at least onecontrolled-environment facility communication control system, thealerting of the investigator that the first and second residents arecommunicating in response to the determination and/or a predeterminationthat the first and second residents are not allowed to communicate withone another.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring thecommunication through the controlled-environment facility communicationcontrol system.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising recordingthe communication.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first andsecond residents are residents of different controlled-environmentfacilities.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and secondresidents are residents of the same controlled-environment facility. 10.The method of claim 1, wherein the alerting the investigator comprisesalerting the investigator by at least one of: an email a text message,or a telephone call.
 11. A method comprising: receiving, by at least onecontrolled-environment facility communications control system, anindication of initiation of communication from a firstcontrolled-environment facility resident, using a first communicationsdevice, with a second controlled-environment facility resident;determining, by the at least one controlled-environment facilitycommunication control system, that the first and second residents arenot allowed to communicate with one another; establishing, by the atleast one controlled-environment facility communication control system,the communication between the first communications device and a secondcommunications device in use by the second controlled-environmentfacility resident, despite a determination and/or a predeterminationthat the first and second residents are not allowed to communicate withone another; and alerting an investigator, by the at least onecontrolled-environment facility communication control system, that thefirst and second residents are communicating, in response to thedetermination and/or a predetermination that the first and secondresidents are not allowed to communicate with one another and further inresponse to establishing the communication.
 12. The method of claim 11,further comprising monitoring the communication through thecontrolled-environment facility communication control system.
 13. Themethod of claim 11, further comprising recording the communication. 14.The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second residents areresidents of different controlled-environment facilities.
 15. The methodof claim 11, wherein the first and second residents are residents of thesame controlled-environment facility.
 16. The method of claim 11,wherein the alerting an investigator comprises alerting the investigatorby at least one of: an email, a text message, or a telephone call.
 17. Amethod comprising: receiving, by at least one controlled-environmentfacility communications control system, an indication of initiation ofcommunication from a first controlled-environment facility resident,using a first communications device, with a secondcontrolled-environment facility resident; establishing the communicationbetween the first communications device and a second communicationsdevice in use by the second controlled-environment facility resident, bythe at least one controlled-environment facility communication controlsystem, under control of the at least one controlled-environmentfacility communication control system; receiving, by the at least onecontrolled-environment facility communications control system, anindication of initiation of communication from the first or secondcontrolled-environment facility resident, using the first or secondcommunications device, with a third controlled-environment facilityresident; establishing the communication between the first and secondcommunications devices and a third communications device in use by thethird controlled-environment facility resident, by the at least onecontrolled-environment facility communication control system, undercontrol of the at least one controlled-environment facilitycommunication control system; and charging a community communicationsaccount maintained by at least one controlled-environment facility forthe benefit of a plurality of residents including at least one of thefirst, second, or third controlled-environment facility residents forthe communication.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the communitycommunications account is maintained by at least onecontrolled-environment facility for the benefit of at least two of thefirst, second or third controlled-environment facility residents. 19.The method of claim 18, wherein the community communications accountmaintained by at least one controlled-environment facility for thebenefit of at least two of the first, second, and third residents isfunded by a non-resident of the at least one controlled-environmentfacility.
 20. The method of claim 17, wherein at least one of the first,second, and third residents is a resident of a differentcontrolled-environment facility than the other two residents.
 21. Themethod of claim 17, wherein the first, second, and third residents areresidents of the same controlled-environment facility.
 22. The method ofclaim 17, further comprising determining, by the at least onecontrolled-environment facility communication control system, whetherthe first, second, and third residents are allowed to communicate withone another, and establishing the communication based upon adetermination that the first, second, and third residents are allowed tocommunicate with one another.
 23. The method of claim 17, furthercomprising alerting an investigator, by the at least onecontrolled-environment facility communication control system, via atleast one of: an email, a text message or a telephone call.
 24. Themethod of claim 17, further comprising: determining, by the at least onecontrolled-environment facility communication control system, that atleast two of the first, second, and third residents are not allowed tocommunicate with one another; establishing, by the at least onecontrolled-environment facility communication control system, thecommunication between the first and second communications device and thethird communications device in use by the third controlled-environmentfacility resident, despite a determination and/or a predeterminationthat at least two of the first, second, and third residents are notallowed to communicate with one another; and alerting an investigator,by the at least one controlled-environment facility communicationcontrol system, that the first, second, and third residents arecommunicating.
 25. The method of claim 24 wherein the alerting aninvestigator comprises sending the investigator an email or a textmessage, or calling the investigator.
 26. The method of claim 17,further comprising: determining, by the at least onecontrolled-environment facility communication control system, that atleast two of the first, second, and third residents are not allowed tocommunicate with one another; establishing, by the at least onecontrolled-environment facility communication control system, thecommunication between the first and second communications device and thethird communications device in use by the third controlled-environmentfacility resident, despite a determination and/or a predeterminationthat at least two of the first, second, and third residents are notallowed to communicate with one another; and monitoring and/or recordingthe communication, by the at least one controlled-environment facilitycommunication control system.
 27. A method comprising: receiving, by atleast one controlled-environment facility communications control system,an indication of initiation of a communication from a firstcontrolled-environment facility resident, using a communications device,with a second controlled-environment facility resident; establishing adirect communication link between the first communications device and asecond communications device in use by the second controlled-environmentfacility resident, by the at least one controlled-environment facilitycommunication control system, under control of the at least onecontrolled-environment facility communication control system; andlimiting a duration of the communication.
 28. The method of claim 27,wherein the duration of the communication is selectively limited basedupon a nature of the communication.
 29. The method of claim 28, whereinthe nature of the communication is educational and the duration is for afixed time for instruction and questions and answers.
 30. The method ofclaim 28, wherein the nature of the communication is personal and theduration is unlimited.
 31. The method of claim 27, wherein the durationof the communication is selectively unlimited.
 32. The method of claim27, wherein at least one of the first and second communications devicesis a communal communications device and the limiting of the duration ofthe communication is based on at least one of the first and secondcommunications devices being a communal communications device.